Woodville, Mississippi

Woodville, Mississippi
Woodville, Mississippi
Town
	Wilkinson County Courthouse in Woodville
	Location of Woodville, Mississippi
	Woodville, Mississippi Location in the United States
	Coordinates: 31°6′10″N 91°17′59″W / 31.10278°N 91.29972°W
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Wilkinson
Government
• Mayor	Keisha Stewart-Ford
Area
• Total	1.04 sq mi (2.68 km2)
• Land	1.04 sq mi (2.68 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	404 ft (123 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	928
• Density	895.75/sq mi (345.83/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39669
Area code	601
FIPS code	28-81120
GNIS feature ID	0679870
Website	www.woodvillems.org

Woodville is one of the oldest towns in Mississippi and is the county seat of Wilkinson County, Mississippi, United States.^[2] Its population as of 2020 was 928.^[3]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	965	—
1890	950	−1.6%
1900	1,043	9.8%
1910	1,233	18.2%
1920	1,012	−17.9%
1930	1,113	10.0%
1940	1,433	28.8%
1950	1,609	12.3%
1960	1,856	15.4%
1970	1,734	−6.6%
1980	1,512	−12.8%
1990	1,393	−7.9%
2000	1,192	−14.4%
2010	1,096	−8.1%
2020	928	−15.3%
U.S. Decennial Census^[4]

Woodville racial composition as of 2020^[3]
Race	Num.	Perc.
Black or African American	677	72.95%
White	217	23.38%
Other/Mixed	26	2.8%
Hispanic or Latino	5	0.54%
Native American	2	0.22%
Asian	1	0.11%

Per the 2020 United States census, there were 928 people, 386 households, and 277 families residing in the town; its racial composition was 77.95% black, 22.38% non-Hispanic white, 0.22% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 2.8% other or mixed, and 0.54% Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[3]

Education

Wilkinson County School District serves Woodville. There are three education facilities near Woodville: Wilkinson County Elementary School, Wilkinson County High School, and the private school Wilkinson County Christian Academy, which was established in 1969 as a segregation academy.^[5]

Wilkinson County is in the district of Southwest Mississippi Community College.^[6]

Media

The Woodville Republican, a weekly newspaper founded in 1823, is the oldest surviving business (and thus the oldest newspaper) in Mississippi.^[7]

Notable people

Julia K. Wetherill Baker (1858–1931), writer and poet, was born in Woodville^[8]
Betty Bentley Beaumont (1828–1892), author, merchant, cotton factor, hotel owner
Henry Cohen (rabbi), served here from 1885 to 1888 before going to Galveston, Texas, where he became a nationally known community leader
Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America; lived near here for a couple of years as a youth on his parents' plantation and attended Woodville Academy, before going to Kentucky to school.
Ronnie Edwards, Louisiana politician, born in Woodville^[9]
Henry Herbert Ogden, aviator in 1924 US Army Air Services around the world flight,^[10]
Will E. Keller, businessman
Rudolph Matthews, handball player
Edward Grady Partin (1924–1990), born in Woodville, he became a Teamsters Union business agent from Baton Rouge. His testimony sent Jimmy Hoffa to prison.
Carnot Posey, Civil War Confederate general
Peter Randolph, early 19th century Federal judge
Dan Reneau, President of Louisiana Tech University
William Grant Still, African-American classical composer and Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame inductee was born in Woodville on May 11, 1895.
Matt Tolbert, professional baseball infielder
W. P. S. Ventress (1854–1911), Mississippi state legislator
George W. Wheeler, Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court (1920–30)
Lester Young, jazz musician and Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame inductee was born in Woodville.^[11]
William Henry Young, Wisconsin politician, born in Woodville

References

^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
^ Dangerfileld, Celnisha. "Mapping Race, School Segregation, and Black Identities in Woodville, Mississippi: A Case Study of a Rural Community". Journal of Rural Community Psychology - Mapping Race. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009.
^ "Welcome from the President". Southwest Mississippi Community College. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
^ r2WPadmin. "Woodville Republican". Mississippi Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 23, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ Willard, Frances, and Mary Livermore, eds. A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-Seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks Of Life. New York: Moulton, 1893, p. 48.
^ "Rep. Rodnette Bethley "Ronnie" Edwards". The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
^ This Day in Aviation, 6 Apr 1924
^ Gelly, Dave (2007). Being Prez: The Life and Music of Lester Young. Equinox. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-84553-058-7.

External links

History of Woodville's Jewish community (from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life)

[CenPopGazetteer2020-1] "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.

[GR6-2] "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.

[:0-3] "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2021.

[DecennialCensus-4] "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

[Dangerfield-5] Dangerfileld, Celnisha. "Mapping Race, School Segregation, and Black Identities in Woodville, Mississippi: A Case Study of a Rural Community". Journal of Rural Community Psychology - Mapping Race. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009.

[6] "Welcome from the President". Southwest Mississippi Community College. Retrieved September 27, 2024.

[ME_Republican-7] r2WPadmin. "Woodville Republican". Mississippi Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 23, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[willard1893-8] Willard, Frances, and Mary Livermore, eds. A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-Seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks Of Life. New York: Moulton, 1893, p. 48.

[9] "Rep. Rodnette Bethley "Ronnie" Edwards". The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved March 10, 2016.

[10] This Day in Aviation, 6 Apr 1924

[Gelly-11] Gelly, Dave (2007). Being Prez: The Life and Music of Lester Young. Equinox. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-84553-058-7.

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